June 10, 2010

In a 1997 Middle East Quarterly article titled "Prince Charles of Arabia," Ronni L. Gordon and David M. Stillman looked at evidence that Britain's Prince Charles might be a secret convert to Islam. They shifted through his public statements (defending Islamic law, praising the status of Muslim women, seeing in Islam a solution for Britain's ailments) and actions (setting up a panel of twelve "wise men" to advise him on Islamic religion and culture), then concluded that, "should Charles persist in his admiration of Islam and defamation of his own culture," his accession to the throne will indeed usher in a "different kind of monarchy."

He toured the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosquest for almost two hours and "took keen interest in studying various sections at the mosque, including the main prayer hall." As his spokesman put it, "The Prince was particularly keen to come to the mosque today to see the fantastic building and remarkable architecture which Prince was fascinated with. The Prince has a great love for Islamic architecture and I can't think of finer example than this mosque."

He "spent a considerable time at an exhibition of Islamic calligraphy and held meetings with Sheikha Aisha Al Siaby, Head of Public Authority for Craft Industries and Taha Al Kisri, the Head of Omani Society for Fine Arts to discuss various aspects of Islamic art."

He "broke fast with a large congregation of people from different nationalities as he sat with folded legs on the floor in the open. He ate date and drank juice at the call of Iftar."

None of this, of course, is evidence that the Heir to the British Throne has changed religions, but his actions most certainly would be consistent with such a move, and especially the implication that he had kept the Ramadan fast. (November 9, 2003)

June 21, 2004 update: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei will award Prince Charles a $50,000 prize chosen by an international jury set up by the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies for his contribution to understanding Islam in the West during a London ceremony on June 24. He is the first non-Muslim to receive the prize established in 1992. Other winners have included Youssef Al-Qaradawi, Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda, and Adnan Mohd Zarzar.

Dec. 18, 2004 update: Prince Charles put himself in the middle of an Islamic theological issue that again could suggest his conversion to Islam – for if that is not the case, then on what basis does he opine on the Islamic law requiring that apostates from Islam be executed? Jonathan Petre of London's Daily Telegraphreports on a private summit of Christian and Muslim leaders at Clarence House on this topic sponsored earlier in December by the prince. Apparently, however, he did not get the results he hoped for, with one Christian participant indicating that Charles was "very, very unhappy" about its outcome. That may have been because the Muslims at the meeting resented his public involvement in this topic.

The Empire State building has gone green for Saint Patrick's Day and Earth Day, red for the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and even pink for the release of a Mariah Carey album. Wednesday night, the landmark will be bathed in yellow for the "Alliance For Young Artists And Writers." However, the management of New York's tallest skyscraper turned down a request by the Catholic League to go blue and white to honor Mother Teresa on her 100th birthday in August and the City Council wants to know why.

CBS 2's Lou Young tried to get answers from the Empire State building's management a few weeks ago, but came up empty. Neither was the City Council, and even the Archbishop of New York was perplexed.

"I kind of shrug my shoulders with everybody else," Dolan said on March 14. "I guess there must be a reason. It'd be tough for me to understand a credible one, but I wish they'd kind of tell us. It's tough to be against Mother Teresa?

The simple blue and white lighting would be the same colors used for a Yankees World Series win or an Israeli Independence Day. In this case it would be the colors worn by a crusader for the poor, yet the people who own the Empire State Building said they won't pay this simple tribute and they refuse to offer an explanation to people who made the application.

There's a number of reasons why they might not want to do this for Mother Teresa. Maybe they don't do it for individual people. Maybe they don't do birthdays. Maybe she's too short. The point is, they haven't talked at all, and they haven't given any reason at all why they won't light the building for her 100th birthday.

NICKIE GOOMBA'S NOTE #1...

Here is Empire State Building owner Anthony Malkin's latest statement:

"The Empire State Building celebrates many cultures and causes in the world community with iconic lightings, and has a tradition of lightings for the religious holidays of Easter, Eid al Fitr, Hanukah, and Christmas. As a privately owned building, ESB has a specific policy against any other lighting for religious figures or requests by religions and religious organizations."

NICKIE GOOMBA'S NOTE #2...

I seems that Malkin hasn't been very consistent with this 'no religious figures' policy as the building was lit in red and white to honor John Cardinal O’Connor after his 2000 death and the tower lights were dimmed after John Paul II’s death in 2005.

June 7, 2010

There are pivotal dates in American history that are seared into the memories of those of us who know them and live to remember: July 4, September 11, December 7.

And there are pivotal dates in world history. You would be hard pressed

to find a more defining moment in the history of the world than June 6, 1944. In spite of the irresponsible revisionist American anti-education system, the date will forever be known by historians and patriots as D-Day.

Sixty-six years ago today, the path to liberating the world from Nazi fascism began on the beaches of Normandy, as scared young men from the Greatest Generation rushed ashore under withering Nazi machine gun fire and artillery.

Just prior to the invasion that would ultimately liberate the world, Gen. Dwigh

t D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, transmitted a message to the young men who would fight and die in the coming hours. It read in part: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.”

With eyes of the world upon them, thousands of young men raced toward Omaha Beach in landing craft. Hitler's entrenched Nazi war machine lay directly in their path.

As the young American warriors began the first assault on Omaha Beach, they were cut to pieces by the Nazis. The casualties were so high that some American generals advocated abandoning Omaha Beach.

But they did not.

Omaha Beach was literally red with American blood. But more landing boats full of young men from the Greatest Generation kept coming. And coming. The warriors would not be denied, their spirit unstoppable.

The Greatest Generation secured Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944 and from that very beach, covered in the blood of Americans heroes, began the assault that would literally save the world. Roughly one year later, the Nazi war machine would smolder in ruins, defeated by warriors dedicated to good over evil.

You probably won't read or hear much in the papers about the 66th anniversary of D-Day. Those of us who refuse to forget believe this epic day should be a front-page story in all newspapers, Internet news websites, television broadcasts, and certainly detailed in American schools, until the end of time. June 6, 1944 is that important.

There remain some members of the Greatest Generation who rushed ashore on Omaha Beach that historical day, though God is now calling them home one by one. Soon there will be no more of these warriors who saved the world 66 years ago on June 6. Count yourself fortunate if you are blessed to know one of them.

The ultimate message of D-Day is that good must always crush evil

, that liberty and freedom is more powerful than the death-grip of tyranny, that the blood of freedom fighters is required in the greatest struggle of all, which is to provide all people with freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Communism, socialism, fascism and religious zealotry seek to enslave and control. These detestable forms of repressive government are the enemies of freedom. America must always stand in defiance of this repression. We must let the people of the world know that America values and cherishes freedom. The world must be reminded of D-Day.

Sixty-six years ago in the early morning of June 6, scared, young freedom fighters from the Greatest Generation rushed ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Some paid the ultimate sacrifice and left behind sweethearts, dads and moms, brothers and sisters. But their sacrifice saved the world.

The rows and rows of crosses at the American cemetery in Normandy serve to remind the world that freedom is never free, that there are things worth fighting and dying for.

Live to remember D-Day. Pause for a moment on this June 6 and remind yourself and your loved ones that the valiant struggle to save the world happened just 66 years ago on the far-away beaches of Normandy.

Somewhere, members of the current generation are on their own Omaha Beach, ready to die in the name of good over evil. Let us educate the uneducated that such courage and warrior spirit is why there is an American Dream, and why the French don't speak German.

June 6, 2010

Today is the anniversary of D-day, the day in World War II that the US had the courage to invade Normandy. That was before I was born, and my father, who did fight in WWII was also a native Californian and fought in the Pacific.

In honor of D-Day, I am posting this video of a moment at a Tea party across the country from me in the state of Georgia. Thank you for still clinging to your God and your guns.

O thus be it ever when freemen shall standBetween their loved homes and the war’s desolation!Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n rescued landPraise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”And the Star-spangled Banner in triumph shall waveO’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

What is shocking and somewhat dismaying to me is to see how many folk are describing this as a “second” and mostly unknown verse. There are in fact four stanzas, and when I was in school every student knew all four of them by heart. They were taught in all the public schools in music class.

The following presentation is from the songbook used in the public schools during World War II. It differs from the lyrics presented on the National Park Service website for Fort McHenry. In the original version, the words “Star-spangled Banner” were capitalized.

This grammatical change is significant. In those days, citizens had reverence for the patriotic ideal — hence the capitalization of “Star-spangled Banner” (which is faithful to Francis Scott Key’s original). However, the semantic erosion of our values reflected in this change pales in comparison to the assault by liberals on the phrase “In God we trust!”

Fair Use

This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of political, human rights, economic, democracy, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research, educational, or satirical purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Material posted on this blog is made available for educational and informative purposes, and as such constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. , section 107 of the US Copyright Law. The material on this blog is provided without profit for benign research and educational purposes.